davvy
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Some of you might be interested in this:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/504/504...html?fromint=1
http://gear.ign.com/articles/504/504...html?fromint=1
Hard Drive Jukebox Shootout on IGN
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davvy
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Plenty of talking points there, thats for sure.
I am about to buy an iHP, so I'm kind of glad that they ranked it number one. And I think that with a firmware upgrade to fix some of the most glaring issues it would undisputably be number one. The biggest one for me is on-the-fly playlists, but there seem to be a whole host of small annoyances, many of which could be easily fixed (check out Austonia's thread for details).
Anyone want to disagree with his comments of sound quality ? I have only ever heard the iPod (which sounded pretty good to me) so I can't comment. I do think though that the reviewer might have been influenced by the manufacturers published specs. I am pretty sure that the fact the Creative rate their player at an SNR of 98, Dell at 94 and iRiver at 90 means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. These numbers are very heavily dependent on testing conditions and methodology and Creative are notorious for tweaking their specs as high as possible. The Audigy 2 ZS actually rates higher for SNR than the Revo, but no-one would argue it sounds better.
I am about to buy an iHP, so I'm kind of glad that they ranked it number one. And I think that with a firmware upgrade to fix some of the most glaring issues it would undisputably be number one. The biggest one for me is on-the-fly playlists, but there seem to be a whole host of small annoyances, many of which could be easily fixed (check out Austonia's thread for details).
Anyone want to disagree with his comments of sound quality ? I have only ever heard the iPod (which sounded pretty good to me) so I can't comment. I do think though that the reviewer might have been influenced by the manufacturers published specs. I am pretty sure that the fact the Creative rate their player at an SNR of 98, Dell at 94 and iRiver at 90 means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. These numbers are very heavily dependent on testing conditions and methodology and Creative are notorious for tweaking their specs as high as possible. The Audigy 2 ZS actually rates higher for SNR than the Revo, but no-one would argue it sounds better.
callanish
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Creative are notorious for tweaking their specs as high as possible.
Says who?
The Zen might have it's faults in areas, but I haven't came across too many complaints about it's sound quality. My 2nd Gen Ipod is a poor comparison to the Zen. I haven't heard a 3rd Gen, but I hope it's a huge improvement over the 2nd Gen. ( tested the following units for a 30 day period ) As far as the Karma, I thought the equalizer was on a different level from all the other HD players. The sound quality was solid in my view. The IHP, sorry to say, I was disappointed with the sound. It sounded artificial to me. Could have been the unit, Could have been the Sony 7506's or PX-250's that made it sound digitally, but with the unit I had before returning it, I can't give it an enthusiastic thumbs up for sound. The features though kept me entertained for days. Overall, I haven't had any complaints with my Zen mentioned by others and the sound quality impresses me every time. It will take something really special to come out that would make me want to upgrade sometime in the next couple of years.
Says who?
The Zen might have it's faults in areas, but I haven't came across too many complaints about it's sound quality. My 2nd Gen Ipod is a poor comparison to the Zen. I haven't heard a 3rd Gen, but I hope it's a huge improvement over the 2nd Gen. ( tested the following units for a 30 day period ) As far as the Karma, I thought the equalizer was on a different level from all the other HD players. The sound quality was solid in my view. The IHP, sorry to say, I was disappointed with the sound. It sounded artificial to me. Could have been the unit, Could have been the Sony 7506's or PX-250's that made it sound digitally, but with the unit I had before returning it, I can't give it an enthusiastic thumbs up for sound. The features though kept me entertained for days. Overall, I haven't had any complaints with my Zen mentioned by others and the sound quality impresses me every time. It will take something really special to come out that would make me want to upgrade sometime in the next couple of years.
davvy
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Quote:
I agree.
I wasn't trying to knock the SQ of the Zen in any way. Although I haven't heard one myself, by all accounts they sound great. I'm just saying that the manufacturers published SNR specs are meaningless. In the case of the Zen, yes it probably sounds better than most other players, in the case of the Audigy 2 ZS, despite having a higher SNR rating, it sounds worse than the Revo.
| The Zen might have it's faults in areas, but I haven't came across too many complaints about it's sound quality |
I agree.
I wasn't trying to knock the SQ of the Zen in any way. Although I haven't heard one myself, by all accounts they sound great. I'm just saying that the manufacturers published SNR specs are meaningless. In the case of the Zen, yes it probably sounds better than most other players, in the case of the Audigy 2 ZS, despite having a higher SNR rating, it sounds worse than the Revo.
callanish
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My "Says who" comment came off rather militant and that's not how I wanted it to come across, but I genuinely wasn't aware that Creative tweaked their specs and was curious to know what your sources were and if this seems to be common among manufacturers in order to make their product look better in the market.
As for SNR, I totally agree. I don't take much stock in SNR numbers and would rather try out a harddrive player and let my own ears be the judge. Sound is relative, so it's all up to the individual to try as many options as possible before putting their hard earned money down on one of these players. I'm hoping each manufacturer learns from each other's players eventually giving us a new generation of players which improve on sound quality, size, convenience and features. Personally, I believe that getting rid of my Zen right now for something else would only be side stepping instead of moving the game forward as I've learned to live with the Zen's quirks. If I'm honest, I'd say that the Zen is a player thats weaknesses stand out, but then on the other side so does its strengths. I'm happy to wait until a whole new generation of players hit the market before reducing my Zen to the scrap heap ( if ever as long as it remains reliable). So far, I haven't came across the problems that others are dealing with ( Headphone jack, front plate falling off ) and that's maybe why I continue to sing its praises. Now, if I ended up with a major fault tomorrow, who knows how my attitude would change.
Regards
LTM
As for SNR, I totally agree. I don't take much stock in SNR numbers and would rather try out a harddrive player and let my own ears be the judge. Sound is relative, so it's all up to the individual to try as many options as possible before putting their hard earned money down on one of these players. I'm hoping each manufacturer learns from each other's players eventually giving us a new generation of players which improve on sound quality, size, convenience and features. Personally, I believe that getting rid of my Zen right now for something else would only be side stepping instead of moving the game forward as I've learned to live with the Zen's quirks. If I'm honest, I'd say that the Zen is a player thats weaknesses stand out, but then on the other side so does its strengths. I'm happy to wait until a whole new generation of players hit the market before reducing my Zen to the scrap heap ( if ever as long as it remains reliable). So far, I haven't came across the problems that others are dealing with ( Headphone jack, front plate falling off ) and that's maybe why I continue to sing its praises. Now, if I ended up with a major fault tomorrow, who knows how my attitude would change.
Regards
LTM
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